Boulevard of Broken Dreams
by Lysha
Summary: Songfic. 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams' by Greenday. Based on KH: Chain of Memories and may contain spoilers. Riku finds himself alone in this mysterious place that he has come to know as Castle Oblivion. And now he's fighting a war within his own heart.


**IMPORTANT:** This songfic may contain **spoilers** for Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. You have been warned! It is based on the Reverse/Rebirth mode gained after completing the main story. It takes place after Riku's first encounter with Ansem. The song I used for this is Green Day's 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams', probably one of my most favourite songs of all time!

**Author's Note:** Thanks for checking out this story! This is my first piece of work based on Kingdom Hearts, but after enjoying writing this one so much, there will probably be more to come. Please, if you can, leave a review to give me some pointers. I would really appreciate any feedback. And finally, I'd like to dedicate this fic in loving memory of my grandad, who passed away shortly before I wrote this. Thank you for all the good memories – you were an inspiration to me.

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**Boulevard of Broken Dreams**

In the grey, cold corridor of the building, his footsteps and confused sighs echoed around the stone walls. He clutched at his sword uneasily, unnerved by the emptiness of this place.

What was this Castle Oblivion anyway?

_I walk a lonely road,  
__The only one that I have ever known_

During the adventures he had had since his homeislands were devoured by the Heartless, Riku had become accustomed to being alone. But this… this was a new kind of loneliness. Lost, bewildered and fighting a war against his own heart, he continued blindly through the castle corridors, encountering memory after bad memory.

_Don't know where it goes,  
__But it'shome to meand I walk alone_

Still, he carried on. The way he saw it, he had very little choice. Using the cards he had been given, he moved from world to world – all of which sprang from his own memories.

_I walk this empty street,  
__On the boulevard of broken dreams_

But his own memories weren't showing him what he _wanted_ to see. Was Maleficent right? Was there only darkness left within his heart now…?

"No… that's not true! I cast away the darkness!" he said harshly to himself, in a hushed tone.

He gritted his teeth as he continued to walk, trying not to think of the memories he had relived so far.

_Where the city sleeps,  
__And I'm the only one and I walk alone,  
__I walk alone,  
__I walk alone_

How had he ended up in this madhouse anyway?

The last thing he remembered was being with King Mickey behind the door to darkness…

And the king… where had he gone?

Riku knew Mickey was sending his power to help him, but from where? Even though the king told him that he was not alone, Riku couldn't fight the feeling of solitude.

All of these questions and feelings hammered at his brain, causing him to quicken his pace until he was running.

_My shadow's the only one that walks beside me_

"How can I find the light when all I can see is darkness?" he yelled, falling to his knees at a run and punching a gloved fist straight into the stone floor. Tears were brimming in his eyes, and he bit his lip to fight them back. He wasn't going to cry – that's just what Ansem wanted. He wanted him to give in and serve him again.

"Never…" he hissed.

_My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating_

"Even if my heart is full of darkness, I'm not going to serve you again… you hear me, Ansem!" he called out into emptiness. As his voice rang around the empty corridor and no sounding reply came, he choked back a sob and dropped his head, white hair hanging over his face. "Who am I kidding? I can't do this alone…"

_Sometimes I wish someoneout there will find me,  
__'Til then, I walk alone_

'Even in the deepest darkness, light can always be found'.

Riku considered the king's past words carefully, still fighting his tears. Where could he find light in here?

It seemed so empty and almost _terrifying_ to be trapped in this place, with no way back. He could only go forward, and he could only go alone.

_Read between the lines,  
__What's fucked up and everything's alright_

"No, I'm not gonna give in… I'm not gonna let you win. If I give up, I've given my heart to darkness. And then I'll be your slave again, and I _won't_ let that happen!" he shouted into the deserted corridor, forcefully wiping away his tears with the back of his hand. "I made you a promise – if I get through all this, I win! I'm not giving in, Ansem. You won't make me yours that easily. Not again!"

_Check my vital signs,  
__And know I'm still alive and I walk alone_

"So what if my heart is dark?" he said, pulling himself with some effort to his feet. "If I'm going down, I'm taking all you demons with me, you got it? Do what you like with me, but just know that I won't go down without a fight. Whether I'm good… or evil. I can take it; I'm strong enough. I'm here to prove that _I'm_ the bigger man here." He took a few uneasy steps further and blinked back some more aggravated tears. "You can play all the head-games you like with me, but it's not gonna work. My heart has strength. It's got me this far already; it won't fail me now."

_I walk alone,  
__I walk alone_

And so, he continued his journey through Castle Oblivion at a steady walk. He knew that he could be in the deepest darkness and he would still find the light in his good memories – the memories of his friends. He could do this, no matter what happened to him along the way. He could be light or dark, good or evil, pure or demonic… he was still going to walk this path and face his fears.

No one controlled his heart without a battle.

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Emily Nash-Medlyn (Lysha) 

Thursday 3rd February


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